The Australian arm of journey reserving platform lastminute.com is shutting down after greater than 25 years.
The corporate, which is now a part of the US-based Expedia Group, informed Australian prospects this week that it might be closing down from 2 June 2026.
Lastminute.com.au launched in 2000 as an Australian model of the favored website, which was initially based within the UK.
It presents low cost offers on resorts, flights, and different vacation companies on the final minute, because the identify suggests.
The corporate has not provided any element on why the platform is shutting down.
In an announcement to The Day by day Telegraph, a spokesperson for lastminute.com.au mentioned, “We frequently evaluation our merchandise, options and portfolio of manufacturers to proceed bettering our travellers’ experiences.”
Phased shutdown
In an electronic mail to prospects, the corporate directed these looking for to e book a vacation after this date to Expedia.
The shuttering will take a phased strategy.
From 2 June, the lastminute.com.au web site and app won’t be obtainable to make new bookings, however all present bookings made by it is going to stay, the corporate mentioned.
Till 15 Might, customers can proceed to e book resorts, flights, care rent, packages, and actions on the platform for the approaching 9 months.
After 15 Might, customers will solely have the ability to make journey bookings for journeys that will likely be accomplished by 1 November.
Then from 2 June, all new reserving exercise will likely be redirected to Expedia.
After this time, lastminute.com.au customers will nonetheless have the ability to modify or cancel present reservations, and entry their Journeys web page on the platform.
As soon as these journeys are accomplished, entry to person accounts will likely be shut down and all reserving historical past will likely be inaccessible.
Aussie website survives 25 years
The Australian website was based over 25 years in the past as a three way partnership between the UK model and Australian journey web site journey.com.au.
In July 2007 the UK agency’s portion of the corporate was purchased by the Australian website, which took full possession of it.
The next 12 months, Brisbane-based Wotif Group bought the entire firm, and in 2014, Wotif was itself purchased by Expedia for $703 million.
Expedia Group owns Expedia, Wotif, Travago, hotels.com, Travelocity, and CheapTickets, amongst others.
It’s publicly listed on the NASDAQ with a market capitalisation of $43 billion ($US31 billion), and operates in additional than 70 international locations.
Information of lastminute.com.au’s closure is available in the identical week that its rival Booking.com advised some users of a data breach that will have impacted “something” they’d shared with lodging suppliers.
